The Global Teacher Prize Award Ceremony

The actor Hugh Jackman is introducing the top ten on the stage of the Plenary Hall, as well as performing some songs from the musical The Greatest Showman.

Here he is with the finalists, just before the ceremony began.

18:35, 24 March 2019

Agreeing on tolerance

HRH Prince Edward and HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance sign an agreement to promote tolerance as they meet together here at GESF.

Prince Edward is chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. The agreement will enable young people from all of the UAE’s population groups to be able to access and participate in the Award.

Non-formal education is a tried and tested way of enabling young people to challenge themselves, step outside their comfort zone and become positive agents of change, both for themselves and their wider communities - Prince Edward

The Duke of Edinburgh Award at a glance

1.3 million current participants

130 countries and territories

Building skills, behaviour and attitudes to empower young people

60 organisations running the Award in the UAE

16:45, 24 March 2109

Time for a pay rise?

The Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Status Index shows there is a direct correlation between teacher pay status and pupil performance.

The importance of leadership

Is leadership the biggest thing missing in education? Read our blog here, reflecting the range of experience and views here at the GESF.

15:13, 24 March 2019

How can EdTech empower teachers?

14:15, 24 March 2019

The importance of teachers

Excitement is building. Join us in the Plenary Hall at 18:00 to find out who has won the Global Teacher Prize 2019.

Until then, here's 9 year-old Bana Alabed from Syria on what teachers mean to her:

14:00, 24 March 2019

Don't forget to sleep

Much of GESF is focussing on what children should be learning and doing when they are awake. But there is another part of children's lives that often gets overlooked - the time when they are asleep. And, if they are sleep deprived, it has a massive impact on their ability to concentrate and to learn. For more insights, listen below to Jared Salatin, cognitive neuroscience and sleep researcher at Brown University.

12:50, 24 March 2019

High-profile changemakers

Changemakers may be children or charity workers. But they can also be world leaders.

This panel included:

Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone

Tony Blair, Former UK Prime Minister

Juan Manuel Santos, Former President of Colombia

Right now, the single biggest challenge for a government is how do you educate the broad masses - Tony Blair

The best antidote for corruption is education - Juan Manuel Santos

11:50, 24 March 2019

Syria in the spotlight

Nine year-old Bana Alabed rose to fame after this tweet from Aleppo in 2016.

Today, this was her message to the Global Education & Skills Forum:

The world is not doing enough for education in Syria and that means a lost generation of children. Education is the last hope for Syria. No education makes children useless and hopeless. We have a lot of guns in Syria, but instead of that we need to have more schools - Bana Alabed

10:55, 24 March 2019

One human family

H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, cabinet member and Minister for Tolerance in the UAE, delivers the ministerial address at the Closing Plenary.

He highlights the role of education in his mission to promote tolerance.

10:35, 24 March 2019

The case for progress

Professor Steven Pinker, author and cognitive psychologist, delivers the Keynote Address at the Closing Plenary, making a strong case for the fact that progress can be measured.

Progress is a demonstrable fact of human history - Steven Pinker

He uses statistics to show there is more peace and prosperity around the world than in previous centuries, as well as improved human health, knowledge and safety.

He also says that the human race is becoming more intelligent - with IQ scores increasing all over the world, as knowledge of science, technology and the arts trickles down into everyday life.

Perhaps the most astonishing, difficult-to-believe sign of progress is that humans are getting smarter – Steven Pinker

10:15, 24 March 2019

The Winners - Next Billion EdTech Prize

The Judges have chosen three start-ups to receive the cash prize of $25,000.

The Closing Plenary begins

The six finalists of the Next Billion EdTech Prize are about to pitch their vision to a panel of judges. The three winners will each be given $25,000 to progress their business vision to help change the world.

08:50, March 24 2019

Social Media news

Our Twitter feed and Facebook page are buzzing with your thoughts and reactions to everything you are hearing here at GESF. Please keep sharing.

08:15, March 24 2019

Welcome Back

It's Day Two of the Global Education & Skills Forum.

By the end of the day, we will know the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2019 as well as the three winners of the Next Billion EdTech Prize.